King-Sized Comeback?

June 11, 2014 · 1 Comment

By Eli Doroshow

July 8th, 2010—-the day LeBron James made his “Decision” to join the Miami Heat. On that day, LeBron Raymone James, an Akron native, left his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lebron picked winning over loyalty, deciding to team up with stars Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade in Miami, rather than stay with the team that drafted him first overall in 2003. As Miami fans rejoiced about their new star, Cleveland fans were hurt, sad, angry, and betrayed. The city of Cleveland burned James’ jerseys, took down his posters, and criticized him heavily for his departure. Now, nearly four years later, a lot has changed since James’ “Decision.” First and foremost, LeBron James is no longer ring-less. In fact, he has two championship rings, and he is on the cusp of a third straight finals victory, in his 4th straight finals appearance. So yes, the whole “go to the Miami Heat to be a winner” plan has worked out for King James. But James, now 29, has the option to opt out of his contract with the Miami Heat at the end of this season, and to test the free agent market this upcoming summer—-and he is expected to do just that. So now that James is likely going to be a free agent, everybody has the same question: will he return to his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers?

Well, first off, is that at all a possibility? Yes it is a possibility. But there are many pros and cons to LeBron leaving the Miami Heat, and returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers. First, let’s look at the cons:

Here is the biggest factor in Lebron’s decision: WINNING. If the Miami Heat and their “Big Three” of Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James complete a “threepeat” this year, giving James his third championship win with the Miami Heat, his leaving the organization would not make much sense. Also, the Heat have two other stars on the roster, in the forms of Bosh and Wade, and they could give LeBron the best chance to win in the next few years. This would make sense for LeBron, because although in three or four years the Heat will be too old to be the most dominant team in the league, they give him the best chance to win right now, and that is exactly what he wants.

But here are the pros:

On May 20th, 2014, the Cavaliers won the NBA Draft Lottery, giving them the Number 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft in June. Now, with the first pick in a star-studded draft class, the Cavs have a much better chance of being able to lure LeBron back to Cleveland. They could do a lot with this pick because of it’s great value. The Cavaliers could draft a young talent in a Jabari Parker, Joel Embid, or Andrew Wiggins but, for the purpose of signing LeBron, who wouldn’t want to wait three or four years for a player to develop, trading for a proven star in the NBA would be a better option for Cleveland. In my opinion, the best player out there that fits this criteria is 25 year old Timberwolves star power forward, Kevin Love. Love is entering the final year of his contract with Minnesota, and, having never played in a playoff game, he wants out. Love would fit perfectly with Cleveland because he plays a position that is vacant in the Cavaliers’ lineup. If Love ends up in a Cleveland uniform this offseason, joining 22-year old Cleveland all-star point guard Kyrie Irving, that could be a very appealing Cleveland team for LeBron James. Another major factor is that the Cavaliers roster is young, while the Heat roster is the opposite. In the 2013-2014 season, the Cavaliers had the youngest average age for a team at 23.8 years old, while the Heat had the highest average at 30.7 years old. This could be big for LeBron because he likes to be the leader, and he likes to mentor younger players.

So, yes, a LeBron James return to Cleveland is possible. But everything needs to fall into place for it to be at all likely. If Cleveland wisely uses their first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft teaming up Irving and whoever comes from the first pick, LeBron could be the thrid and final piece to a very young, Cleveland “Big Three.” But first for any of this to come true, the Miami Heat need to lose to the San Antonio Spurs in this year’s NBA Finals. So who knows? If all of this falls into place perfectly, could King James return to the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer, just four years after breaking their hearts? Well, we will just have to wait and see for LeBron James’ “Decision 2.0.”